Vitals

David Duchovny as Hank Moody, womanizing novelist with substance abuse issues

Venice Beach, Summer 2007

Series: Californication
Episode: “Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder” (Episode 1.06)
Air Date: September 17, 2007
Director: Ken Whittingham
Costume Designer: Peggy A. Schnitzer

Background

Hank eases through this episode, the sixth in the first season, in some very typical Moody attire, stuff that we should be getting used to seeing by now. The most interesting change-ups for Hank are an unseen T-shirt and some overly preppy Dad clothes.

In this episode, all Hank wants to do is go see his daughter perform with her band in Venice Beach. Instead, he has his record collection stolen with his favorite T-shirt and guitar, he is forced to deal with a pedophiliac coke-addicted high school teacher, and he ends up soaked in a swimming pool. However, the night ends on a good note for our hapless hero.

What’d He Wear?

In an earlier Hank Moody post, I referred to Hank as the “Keith Richards of the literary world”. In this episode, the last of the first half of the first season, Hank teases us by mentioning a shirt that – as of the sixth season – we never get to see. Hank calls it his “Keith Richards for President” shirt and, a few Google searches later, I found a pretty BAMF shirt that Hank certainly would’ve been proud to own.

Evidently, the shirt’s brief and unseen history is that it was purchased by Karen at a small boutique shop in New York and, as Hank’s “favorite shirt”, made the quest out to L.A. with them, where it was stolen by Surfer Girl after her and Hank’s night of passion. She presumably gives it back when she returns his records, but we never do get to see the actual shirt.

Update! I received the exact same T-shirt for Christmas 2014, and I couldn’t be more delighted with it. Not only do I believe in its message, but it gets a lot of conversations started. Thanks to Amazon, you too can support Keef’s administration with your own T-shirt!

Instead, Hank sports one of his usual black cotton short-sleeve T-shirts. It’s a shame, as the Keith Richards shirt would have been perfect for his daughter’s rock concert, Hank’s main outing in the episode.

This episode also sees the return of the smoking jacket, last worn in the pilot. The dark brown thin-waled corduroy (so thin is resembles suede from a distance!) coat is single-breasted with notch lapels and a 2-button front. Additional details include a jetted breast pocket, flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and a single rear vent. A Yves St. Laurent logo is visible inside in some episodes. Luckily for Hank, his jacket was already off by the time he lands in the pool. As Jerry Seinfeld learned, suede and water do not mix.

Hank also continues his streak of wearing only medium-dark wash denim jeans (when wearing pants at all). This streak will continue until the final episode of the first season.

Hank’s footwear is his mid-season favorite, a pair of black and white Nike Cortez running shoes with black socks. The accessories are also unchanged, with the silver ring on his right index finger and the black leather studded bracelet paired with the thin black leather braid on his left wrist.

After immersing himself in Karen’s pool, he is given some of Bill’s “white guy” clothes for something dry to wear the next morning. It’s hard to believe that Bill didn’t have anything more Hank-like, such as a dark shirt and jeans, but the sight of our usual “Man in black” sporting a hot pink polo and khakis was probably too much of a temptation for the showrunners to pass up.

When he gets back to his apartment, Hank finds himself more at home in a dark blue T-shirt and jeans, plopped in front of the computer with Scotch and an empty mind searching for words. Luckily, he doesn’t have to struggle for too long before Surfer Girl returns with his records and, ostensibly, his Keith Richards T-shirt.

Go Big or Go Home

This episode marks one of the final appearances of Hank’s Camel Lights, kept in his jacket’s breast pocket and lit with a light blue Bic Classic lighter. Hank multipurposes his cigarette, dipping it in the sleazy teacher’s cocaine before lighting up, then extinguishing it on the teacher’s chest.

Appropriately and expectedly due to the episode title, Hank indulges in some absinthe with Karen. After a few rounds of the green fairy, the two end up making out again for a few fleeting seconds before Hank finds himself in the swimming pool.

This episode tells us a lot about Moody’s character. He is a family man and puts them first whenever he can, but his overwhelming sense of duty and guilt forces him to pull himself away when Mia, the compulsive liar, cries wolf. He still comes to her rescue, albeit begrudgingly.

How to Get the Look

Hank is really starting to standardize his look:

• Dark brown single-breasted thin-waled corduroy smoking jacket with a 2-button front, 3-button cuffs, single vent, jetted breast pocket, and flapped hip pockets
• Black short-sleeve James Perse cotton T-shirt
• Medium-dark wash blue denim jeans
• Black socks
• Black and white Nike Cortez tennis shoes with white piping and laces
• Silver ring with two ridged bands, worn on the right index finger
• Black leather bracelet with silver hexagonal and round studs, worn on the left wrist
• Thin black braided leather bracelet, also worn on the left wrist

As usual, Hank decides on a dark blue short-sleeve T-shirt when he settles in at home for the night. If you want the Keith Richards T-shirt, Amazon‘s got you covered.

For Hank’s dorky white guy look, picked from Bill’s clothes, get your hands on:

• Hot pink short-sleeve Ralph Lauren polo shirt with 2 white buttons and a sky blue Polo logo
• Khaki flat front slacks
• Silver ring with two ridged bands, worn on the right index finger
• Black leather bracelet with silver hexagonal and round studs, worn on the left wrist
• Thin black braided leather bracelet, also worn on the left wrist

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the first season.

The Quote

Karen: What would you do if our little spawn actually became, like, a rock star?
Hank: I would be really proud of her.
Karen: You would?
Hank: And I would be there to help pump her stomach when she OD’d.

Footnotes

You may get tired of always seeing this link, but as they are the most-searched things bringing people to this blog, Hank’s bracelets are available at Urban Wrist.

Also, for anyone wondering if the Hank posts are getting redundant as the looks become more and more similar – each first season episode will continue to get its own post. After that, each different look in each season will have one page for itself, encompassing several episodes putting each look in context. Otherwise, there would be about 50 different posts on this blog about the exact same black T-shirt, jeans, and boots.